Wdnesday, May 21, 2003

School OKs $298,000 bid for new HS softball field

By ROSIE FLORES
and
JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writers
PECOS, Wed., May 21, 2003 -- Pecos-Barstow-Toyah school board members awarded
a Midland firm a bid for just under $300,000 to build a new high school
girls softball field, with the completion date set for October.

School board members met Tuesday evening to discuss and take action on
competitive sealed proposals for the new field, which will be build on the
northwest side of the high school's Iowa Street football practice facility.

Architect Monte Hunter, with Hunter and Corral, was on hand to discuss
the proposals and show the group a copy of the plans for the field.

"We received two proposals from two different construction companies in
Midland," said Hunter.

Abbott Building Company and Mid-Tex of Midland both submitted proposals
for the construction in Pecos.

Abbott Building Company had a base proposal of $408,210, while Mid-Tex
of Midland submitted a proposal of $298,892.

"Alternate 1 concerned the backstop, some people do nets, " said Hunter.
"They do that instead of chain link, but it actually costs a little bit
more," he said.

Hunter said that he had spoken to some of the staff involved and that
they didn't want the alternate, which was the "net" fence.

"I don't recommend it because with nets somebody could come along and
they can have a knife and cut it," said PBT-ISD Superintendent Don Love.
"With chain link its there forever," he said.

"I had given you an estimate of $370,000, more or less," said Hunter.
"If you do approve this bid it will be another eight percent for us, plus
filing fees and some other extras."

"Does this contain a $15,000 contingency?" asked Love.

Hunter said that Mid-Tex's bid did contain a contingency and Love recommended
that the group go with that company to build the new facility.

"They've done some work for us in the past haven't they?" asked board
member Paul Deishler.

"They actually did this building," Hunter said, referring to the P-B-T
Technology building, the site of Tuesday's meeting. Mid-Tex built that facility
two years ago and also had worked at the Pecos High School.

Hunter said that the company had also constructed the softball fields
in Big Spring and for the Ector County ISD at the Ratliff Stadium complex.

"I've looked at their contract and they have a good group of sub-contractors,"
said Hunter.

The time schedule calls for them to have at least half of it finished
by Aug. 10 and the rest by Oct. 18.

"It will be a kind of a two-step construction," said Hunter. "They'll
work on that little area behind the fence until Oct. 18," he said.

Board members approved the bid from Mid-Tex and the company will begin
construction immediately.

"We're looking forward to having a field right on campus," said Pecos
Eagles' softball coach Tammy Walls. "It certainly cuts out the problem of
transportation."

Pecos just completed its sixth season of high school softball. When the
program began in 1998, games were split between the Maxey Park softball
field and Martinez Field on the southeast side of town, which is where the
games have been played the past five seasons.

That field was converted from a baseball facility, and a scoreboard and
lights were added over the past three years. However, the condition of the
field was a concern prior to the start of this past season, and the softball
team ended up doing most of their pre-season workouts at the Iowa Street
practice facility.

Under the construction plan, the work on the field will be done over the
next 21/2 months, and will be completed by the time pre-season workouts
start for the Eagles' football team on Aug. 4. "The field will be done by
August and then they'll work on the backstop and the stands," Walls said.

"The fence down the first and third base lines will be a permanent fence,
and around the outfield, they'll have a breakaway temporary fence," she
said. The fence will be similar to the one current used by the team at Martinez
Field, and can be taken down during football season.

With construction of the stands on the first base side of the field, about
10 yards of the current football practice field will be removed. However,
school officials said there would still be enough field available so the
right field fence can be a regulation 200 feet (67 yards) from home plate.

The new field will use the west side rest room facilities at Eagle Stadium,
which will save on construction costs. Pecos' baseball field, which was
built 30 years ago, uses a similar arrangement on the east side of Eagle
Stadium.

Marquez given two-year term for soliciting child porn photos

By JENNIFER GALVAN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Wed., May 21, 2003 -- A former Midland Independent School District
security guard and Pecos Police Officer was sentenced in U.S. District Court
on Tuesday to two years in prison after pleading guilty in March to attempting
to buy child pornography.

John Peter Marquez, 41, pled guilty on March 5 to attempted possession
of child pornography and was sentenced on Tuesday before U.S. District Judge
Rob Junell. Marquez had entered the guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Stuart
Platt, after a preliminary hearing on the charges was held in mid-February.

According to the U.S. District Attorney's Office in Midland, once Marquez
has served his two years in prison he then will be released and be supervised
for three years.

Currently Marquez is being held at the Odessa Detention Center until
he is designated a prison, the U.S. Marshal's Office in Midland said.

Marquez first pled guilty to two counts involving four pornographic photographs
of teenage males performing illicit sexual acts on men. He was caught after
e-mailing the images to an undercover postal inspector, and prosecutors
also revealed during an early hearing that Marquez had been dismissed from
the Pecos Police Department 12 years ago after reportedly molesting two
boys.

Before his arrest, Marquez was working for the Midland Independent School
District as a guard at Goddard Junior High on the north side of Midland.
Marquez was fired from his five-year job following his arrest on February
11.

While MISD said there were no complaints against him, Marquez was forced
to resign from the Pecos Police Department in 1991 after serving as a dispatcher
and an officer over an 11 year period, following allegations he had molested
two 13-year-old boys.

At the time of Marquez' Feb. 18 hearing before Judge Platt, Town of Pecos
City Police Chief Clay McKinney said that he could not comment on the allegations
of Marquez' dismissal from the local police force. McKinney was not in office
at that time, but both he and former Pecos Police Chief Troy Moore were
subpoenaed by federal prosecutors

In-between the time he left the Pecos PD and took his job with the Midland
schools, Marquez worked for the Texas Youth Commission.

Four arrested with marijuana bags in vehicle

By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Wed., May 21, 2003 -- Two adults and two juveniles out for a ride
Tuesday afternoon ended up being driven to jail by police, after a routine
traffic stop uncovered illegal drugs in their vehicle.

Pecos Police Officer Oscar Machuca stopped a vehicle at about 4 p.m.,
yesterday afternoon for a traffic violation in the 200 block of West Second
Street.

Police Report

EDITOR'S NOTE: Information contained in the Police Report
is obtained from reports filed by the Pecos Police Department, Reeves County
Sheriff's Office, or other officers of those agencies. The serving of warrants
by an officer for outstanding fines of either traffic citations, animal
control violations or other court costs are considered arrests and will
be printed as such unless indicated that the fines were paid. In such instances
we will indicate payment and release.

***

Stephen Bustamante was arrested at 10:11 p.m. on May 19 in the 900
block of South Ash Street for assault under the Family Violence Act.

***

Jacob Rodriguez, 22, was arrested at 12:12 a.m., on May 19, at the
Del Rio Bar on a capias default payment for open container.

***

Genaro Machuca, 27, was arrested at 7:26 p.m., on May 17, at the corner
of Normandy and Eddy streets for three outstanding Texas Department of Public
Safety warrants.

***

Julian Olivas, 20, was arrested at 1:30 a.m., on May 18, in the 400
block of South Cherry Street on a capias warrant for default payment of
drivers license and a capias warrant for default payment for no liable insurance.

***

A male juvenile was arrested at 8:27 p.m., on May 17, in the 1200
block of South Pecan Street for family violence act.

***

Jose Luis Ortiz, 41, and Shirley Ortiz, 41, were arrested at 12:26
p.m., on May 17, at the corner of Seventh and Eddy streets for violation
of protective order.

***

Maria Garcia, 49, was arrested at 9:18 p.m., on May 16, at the Allsup's,
708 S. Cedar St., for driving while intoxicated.

***

Jose Tovar, 22, was arrested at 10:15 p.m., on May 16, on the corner
of Adams and Eddy streets on a capias warrant for minor in possession of
alcohol and a capias warrant for default payment for driving under the influences.

***

Ana Barreno, 42, was arrested at 5:09 p.m., on May 16, in the 1300
block of Eddy Street on a warrant for possession of controlled substance,
heroin, a state jail felony.

***

Delfino Lujan, 51, was arrested at 5:36 p.m., on May 16, on the corner
of Cherry and Walthall streets for public intoxication.

***

Paul Serranto Diaz, 26, was arrested at 4:36 p.m., on May 15, at
the adult probation office on a motion to revoke cause.

***

Julio Sanchez, 19, was arrested at 4:20 p.m., on May 14, in the 200
block of South Elm Street for possession of marijuana under two ounces.

***

Arturo Hernandez was arrested at 8:27 p.m., on May 14, in the 1000
block of South Elm Street on a capias warrant for public intoxication.

***

Jeanette Flores, 24, was arrested at 1:24 a.m., on May 14, at the
Club Suavecito, at Ninth and Cedar streets, on a capias warrant for possession
of alcoholic beverage open container.

***

Adam Arredondo, 30, Fred Tucker, 22 and Joanna Tucker were arrested
at 2:17 a.m., on May 17, at Club Suavecito for public intoxication and disorderly
conduct - fighting, class C.

***

David Acosta, 48, was arrested at 8:57 p.m., on May 13, in the corner
of Third and Pine streets for driving while intoxicated - refusal enhanced
- class A.

***

Randall French, 26, and Kristy French, 25, were arrested at 4:04
p.m., on May 13, in the 3000 block of Aggie for assault - family violence
act.

***

Richard Gibson, 18, and Marcelino Murjuia, 20, were arrested at 7:27
p.m., on May 12, at Wal-Mart. Gibson was arrested for public intoxication
- class C and Murjuia was arrested for public intoxication - class C and
leaving the scene of an accident.

***

Daniel Rivera, 24, was arrested at 12:26 a.m., on May 11, in the 1800 block
of West Adams Street for assault - family violence act.